H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Progam

"An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows a person to work legally and temporarily in the United States. The H-1B classification applies to persons in a specialty occupation which requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge..."

"The H-1B visa program took its current form in 1990, stemming from panic over a labor shortage that never materialized. The program allows for . . .temporary visas. . .good for up to six years, for people in "specialty occupations" tied to a specific employer. In practice, computer programmers and physical therapists have accounted for the large majority of H-1B visa users."

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization founded in 1985. It is the nation's only think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States.